Ben Wilhelmi

B/W portraits on films, in the bush, Tanzania

 

Sieving some analog black and white through my archives...before digital times. it had its perks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

B/W film photography, Masai people.

 

 

One of my little privileges of living in Africa is having the time...well I am obviously still a bit obnoxious about it but I have some free time nevertheless and opportunities, like bringing vintage cameras to remote areas, here around lake Natron with a magnificent 1961 Rolleiflex allowing 12 shots per medium format film roll, very old fashioned.

Why...? Because l can? Because l couldn't afford such an expensive camera 20 or more years ago. And well it is just about driving a venerable car or listening to a LP...

 

Some portraits in the bush, Tanzania

 

 

A Masai boy showing his regalia. It means he has been recently circumsized and the next step is warriorhood.

 

 

Aerials over lake Natron, Tanzania, analog pictures

 

 

Lake Natron is a magnificent salt lake in the Rift valley.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shot on a vintage camera, a 1961 medium format Rolleiflex camera and chrome films.

B/W film Masai portraits, Tanzania

 

 

 

All shot recently with a Rolleiflex 3.5F, a medium format beauty camera from 1961. Sometimes it feels good to show the millennials that there was life of various sorts before digital era, before selfies....

 

Tanzania, people in the bush, B/W analog pictures.

These pictures come from my archives, around 2000, northern Tanzania, but I still use a few analog cameras nowadays.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Paris, street photography on B/W films

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Paris, street photography on B/W films

When I modestly pretend to follow Robert Doisneau’s footsteps in Paris with a similar camera, a 1961 Rolleiflex 3.5F.

 

 

 

 

 

Maasai people, pictures

 

Old pictures from my archives, 1999 and 2000, that is on good old films.

 

 

 

 

An Afro haircut is quite rare amongst Maasai, warrior, like this man, or not.

 

This young woman sports fresh traditional scars that are still healing I guess.

 

Paris in B/W films

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why use analog films in digital era…well the movies didn’t kill the theaters, photography didn’t kill painting, keyboards didn’t kill handwriting (yet…). In a similar fashion, why drive a vintage car or fly a biplane. Everything vintage is on the rise. Just I never stopped shooting in films. I even bought 2 more film cameras in digital times…

Death Valley, medium format film

 

Shot with a splendid 1961 Rolleiflex 3.5F

 

 

 

 

 

Wildlife on film, Tanzania

 

I used a film camera this week, that got me fishing some old pictures B.D. (that is before Digital)

 

 

Scarface…

 

 

 

A lion got a rare roan antelope. I think that was one of my 2 sightings of that beautiful animal, Katavi park

 

2 young lions with a plain agenda but they had eyes bigger than their skills and got chased away by the buffaloes.

 

Paris, B/W films

 

Victor Lenoir’s tomb. A French doctor who was a pioneer in women’s fertility. Notice the erection on the statue! Would see that in America I guess. The legend says his erection will help fertility so women come and rub it, some even sit on it.

 

 

 

La Madeleine.

 

 

 

B/W street photography on films, Paris

 

 

La Madeleine.

 

 

 

Along rue de Rivoli.

 

Les Tuileries.

Paris on B/W films

 

 

Jim Morrison’s grave still attract many pilgrims, Père La Chaise cemetery.

 

 

 

 

 

Asian tourists still come for the romance.

Paris, B/W street photography on films

 

 

 

 

 

 

All shot on my beloved Rolleiflex from 1961. A bit of a strange beast that puzzled that smart girl. I say smart because she is not part of the selfie crap…

Photography in Burma

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

photography, Burma

 

 

 

Not the usual face for a monk…

 

 

 

London, street photography in the 80's

 

street photography is a good way to learn photography.

I swear she was not posing for me.

 

aaahh…the 80’s haircuts….

Hyde park Corner, anybody with something to say out loud is allowed to…

 

Cologne, Germany, street photography, 80's

 

I was born in Cologne, or Köln, and left when I was a teen but Mom stayed there for quite some more years. So when I turned 18, I asked a camera and got a lot of practice while visiting her on holidays

Street photography before it became fashionable. I was young, eyeing Doisneau, Cartier-Bresson…I learnt a lot with a great Minolta X700.

 

 

 

 

 

Yeah I know I should clean those white specks and scratches. But I wanted to show what it looked like in B/W before hitting the brush and ink and correct the whole lot. Painful work. As opposed to the various editing programs nowadays.

Portraits on films, Tanzania

 

 

 

 

 

Shot with my good old Nikon F3 in 2002.

street photography in London, 80's

 

As heard in “Desperate Housewives” from Karen, this guy could grate cheese on his abs.

 

 

Those punkettes...I kept on seeing them near Trafalgar...for people supposedly against the system, they seemed to enjoy the touristic establishment.

 

Flying Medical Service, clinics in the bush, Tanzania

 

Flying Medical Service operates 2 Cessna 206s.

An old picture: I had been stranded in a Masai village, Pininyi on lake Natron shores. The problem was a jammed starter. Pat Patten, the manager-founder, had come to rescue me with a new starter. A night in a Masai village can be interesting.

 

A one-legged man leaves the clinic after some treatment on his stump.

 

Babies receive their drop of polio.

 

A nice ‘medical’ hut in the Rift valley.

 

An airstrip near an active volcano named Lengai.

 

In this place, Oleparkashi, the clinic takes place under the wing. Notice the scale hanging from the wing.

 

A man goes home, probably quite disappointed. Nothing we can do for his elephantiasis on the legs.

 

Patiently waiting for the doctor.

 

Another hut, a different view of the volcano Lengai.

 

The last 2 pictures were shot on slide film with my lovely Rolleiflex.

Sceneries in the bush on films, Tanzania

 

This Sonjo kid has built his own propeller.

 

 

A photographer caught at his own game.

 

A story teller captivates his audience.

 

A politician is being greeted by a troop.

 

Pictures shot on films, Nikon FM2 or F3

People in the Tanzanian bush, shot on Rolleiflex

 

Some slide films at work in a superb Rolleiflex camera from 1961.

 

 

 

 

The beauty, cosmetically nearly unchanged from 1930 till the 80’s.

But B/W films work wonders too.

London in the eighties, street photography

 

the 2 classics.

 

if these 2 had had a child, it would have been an interesting one…

 

Hyde park, anybody can jump on a box and harangue the crowd.

Portraits in the bush, Tanzania

 

 

 

 

 

Shot on film, Nikon F3

Tanzania, B/W portraits, on films

 

These 2 are recent pictures, I still shoot some films nowadays.

 

Some oldies below.

 

Germany, street photography

 

I started photography in 1987 with a wonderful 35mm Minolta X700. Cologne, where I spent much of my holidays, looked much more alive than Brussels for instance.

 

 

 

 

one gay pride in Brussels

 

around 2004.

 

 

 

 

 

Burma, B/W film street photography

 

May 2004, I had taken my brand new Leica for a walk. Since my skills in Burmese are pretty limited I had no idea the water festival was going on full blast. Everybody being cheerful I was a prime target, I was the only tourist in the crowd apparently. Don’t think being wet will calm people. No they keep on throwing water at each other all day long. The vehicles here just queue in front of hose stands, and as if the hoses were not enough, bystanders give a help too. Look at the woman in the forefront, she seems dedicated. Great day in the end. I bet the people are releasing a year of frustration under the dictatorship.

 

Yes, in Rangoon some youngsters get the western influence.

 

 

 

 

 

I didn’t find Burmese food appetizing. At all. I was glad there were Indian and Chinese communities around.

 

Leica M6 and various B/W films.

portraits on film, Tanzania

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pictures shot on films and with a Nikon F3

street photography, Paris in B/W

 

 

 

 

 

 

Leica M6, Ilford Delta films

Cologne, street photography, 80's

 

 

 

 

 

Gay Pride, Belgium

 

 

 

Ecolo is the green party. “Pédale” is either a bike pedal, to pedal or a nickname for male gays. So Ecolo here showed its support by “pedaling for you”

 

 

YMCA style doesn’t go out of fashion.

 

 

Leica M6

Burma, various religious sites

 

This reclining Buddha is one of the largest in Asia. 65x16m, quite impressive. The hangar was specially made to house it.

Many donation boxes lie around the statue. Why so many, I don’t know.

 

 

 

 

 

B/W infrared photography, USA

 

 

 

 

 

Rolleiflex 3.5F, Ilford SFX 200

Paris in B/W, street photography

 

 

 

 

 

 

Leica M6, Ilford Delta films

USA, landscapes on films

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Rolleiflex 3.5F from 1961 was used.

street photography, Cologne, 80's